[Vision2020] Stout Not Wrong n Union Support / Police Union Stand Not a Conflict

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (May 22, 2006) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with a special thanks
to Ray von Wandruszka and Margaret Davis -

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Stout not wrong in union support 

Recently there has been a spate of letters to the editor from people who
take issue with Moscow City Councilman Bob Stout's support of a police
union. A recurring theme in these letters reads something like this: ". I
thought city councilors were elected to represent all residents, not just a
small group of employees . " Well, the writers either did not pay attention
in civics class, or found the material too challenging. Allow me to explain
the matter (for clarity, I'll write very slowly from here on): If Stout were
to support, say, a children's playground, then he would not do this solely
as a representative of the 100-odd kids and their parents who use the
facility, but because it is a good thing for the city of Moscow - a feature
that makes it a better place to live. 

The same is true for the union issue: Bob Stout does not support a police
union because he represents police personnel to the exclusion of clueless
letter writers, but because he believes that such a union would benefit the
police force and thereby the city. You may agree, or disagree, but please,
spare us cockamamie arguments about representation. A city councilor is not
your personal mouthpiece - even if you labor under the illusion of speaking
for the people. Councilman Stout has a degree in political science, and has
this representative democracy thing down pat. Clearly, the same cannot be
said about his critics. 

Ray von Wandruszka, Moscow

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Police union stand not a conflict 

In his letter published in the Monday, May 15 Daily News, Jim Anderson says
that Bob Stout ought to recuse himself from voting on the issue of the
police union. 

Anderson maintains that because Stout has made his opinion known in the
past, that his expressed opinion represents a conflict of interest. 

If this were the case, then every political platform would represent a
conflict of interest when the issue came to a vote. 

People voted for Stout because of his stands on the various issues. The
police, as every working group, ought to have collective bargaining rights. 

Moscow's police are willing to do a very difficult, dangerous, and sometimes
thankless job. They ought to be valued and supported by the community they
protect. 

Margaret Davis, Moscow

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Simply stated, constituents vote for candidates for the same reason that
they join political organizations, they strongly believe in the positions
expressed by the candidates and/or political organizations.

The same holds true concerning Councilman Aaron Ament.  People knew, and
understood, where Aaron Ament stood on virtually all issues when they voted
him onto the Moscow City Council.

Councilpersons Ament and/or Stout should not be recused simply because they
are loyal to comments they expressed while campaigning.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho 

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"Are the "alternative" schools really all that accelerated? Aren't they just
normal? I think it would be more accurate to describe the conventional
schools as RETARDED. (Not necessarily in all caps, of course.)"

- CD Witmer (May 18, 2006)

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